What did you do to your MKIV today?

[IndigoBlueWagon]

My guru replaced the ignition switch on IBW. The headlights were going out randomly, which was somewhat alarming. Switch was original: not bad service life.

 

[The Cream Dolphin]

mk4 ALH BEW lift-pump install

here's how i do the wiring for an mk4 ALH install of a BEW lift pump. the bulk of the work is in making a nice drop-in harness. and with this harness made, the only tools needed are a de-pin tool, flatblade srewdriver, t20-t25 torx bits, 10mm socket; it's essentially drop-in :) first thing is...

forums.tdiclub.com

ALH lift pump install how to?

Please excuse the noobish question, but what's the reason for retrofitting a lift pump to an ALH? Is it to support engine mods? I know this is an old post don't beat me up... Just a couple other good reasons for adding a lift pump would be to make fuel system priming a lot easier after running...

forums.tdiclub.com

https://s3.amazonaws.com/idpartsimages/pdfs/PDLiftPumpInstallGuide_v1.5.pdf

Oh man, my bad I misunderstood sorry about that. I was referring to my IP, I am feeling a bit dumb now I have been trying to find if there is a way to rewire it, but have not been feeling all that inspired by what I find.

 

[norbert77]

So, asking for a friend; if the crank center bolt is not properly tightened, and the engine was started, how bad could things get? Suppose it was tightened without trans on, how much could that crank be? Ran 5 minutes

 

[[486]]

the airbox snorkel (the newer one without the snow screen) is indeed a restriction when you've got a 50mm compressor inducer

stuck a gauge on the airbox, clean side of the filter
11" of water with the snorkel installed, 5" of water with the snorkel removed

ETA: ordered a new filter, so I'll update with a number on a new filter when it shows up
Always used junkyard air filters before.

 

[[486]]

So, asking for a friend; if the crank center bolt is not properly tightened, and the engine was started, how bad could things get? Suppose it was tightened without trans on, how much could that crank be? Ran 5 minutes

oh dear
did it come loose? If it did I'd look really close at the lifters, might even pull the head or get a borescope that'll fit in the injector holes to look for marks on the pistons.

the only thing holding the front pulley on is that bolt's clamping force, there isn't really a key, the flat on the snout doesn't really hold any torque at all
There's a reason it needs like 600ft/lbs to get that last 90* stretch to the bolt

At the very least check the timing belt's timing with the marks on the flywheel.

 

[pkhoury]

What did I do today... diesel oil change day. changed oil in both Golfs, fuel filter in DSOL (need to find another and do air filters for both cars), and changed oil in the F450. Also got to do my first real test drive with DSOL and damn does it feel nice with a freshly rebuilt tranny and taller 5th!

DSOL looks small compared to the truck. It's nice not needing to jack it up to change the oil and filter.

 

[norbert77]

oh dear
did it come loose? If it did I'd look really close at the lifters, might even pull the head or get a borescope that'll fit in the injector holes to look for marks on the pistons.

the only thing holding the front pulley on is that bolt's clamping force, there isn't really a key, the flat on the snout doesn't really hold any torque at all
There's a reason it needs like 600ft/lbs to get that last 90* stretch to the bolt

At the very least check the timing belt's timing with the marks on the flywheel.

That's what I worry about. I sure hope I did the first part at least, to 88 or whatever that was. I vaguely remember using a prybar on something...

 

[pkhoury]

Today is electric fuel pump upgrade. Wish I got a wiring harness, I ordered the pump and connectors from recommended site, and connector, but it's a blank...

It's not hard to make your own harness, just time consuming. I'd get the plug from a junkyard BEW (if you can find one), splice in extra wires for power, and then run it to I think a 51 relay, fuse and link to the fuel shutoff solenoid on the IP. All three ALHs have that mod (though I'll eventually be selling my 2000 Golf after I pull some parts from it). It helps A LOT, btw, and it's fantastic for times like today when I put in a new fuel filter.

 

[CanadianALH]

It's not hard to make your own harness, just time consuming. I'd get the plug from a junkyard BEW (if you can find one), splice in extra wires for power, and then run it to I think a 51 relay, fuse and link to the fuel shutoff solenoid on the IP. All three ALHs have that mod (though I'll eventually be selling my 2000 Golf after I pull some parts from it). It helps A LOT, btw, and it's fantastic for times like today when I put in a new fuel filter.

How much does it help with starting in the cold?

 

[pkhoury]

How much does it help with starting in the cold?

I think that'd be more a function of your glowplugs. All it does it force fuel to your fuel filter, as opposed to the IP doing all the work. It's handy when you have problems with air bubbles, and are lucky enough to have fuel lines that let you see the fuel in action.

 

[Mozambiquer]

Oh man, my bad I misunderstood sorry about that. I was referring to my IP, I am feeling a bit dumb now I have been trying to find if there is a way to rewire it, but have not been feeling all that inspired by what I find.

I have the plugs and pins for repairing the injection pump harnesses if that's what you're needing.

 

[[486]]

That's what I worry about. I sure hope I did the first part at least, to 88 or whatever that was. I vaguely remember using a prybar on something...

put a breaker bar on it and try to tighten it
With someone on the brakes you should be able to slip the clutch before the bolt turns. Mark it with a paint pen beforehand, so if it does move (and feels like it started with about the 88ftlb) you can know you gotta do the whole +90 deg

If it does move, recheck your timing belt position, might have to knock the cam pulley loose to line it back up again.

 

[norbert77]

put a breaker bar on it and try to tighten it
With someone on the brakes you should be able to slip the clutch before the bolt turns. Mark it with a paint pen beforehand, so if it does move (and feels like it started with about the 88ftlb) you can know you gotta do the whole +90 deg

If it does move, recheck your timing belt position, might have to knock the cam pulley loose to line it back up again.

My kid is coming over in an hour, it was him and I that did it, I hope he remembers more... I hope that against all odds, maybe we torqued it, and used the impact to tighten it 90*


Edit, he remembers us using the impact wrench to do the extra 90*

 

[PakProtector]

Oil change on the 2DR. It seems to use very little between changes...

Also worked at fitting up a Panzer Plate I picked up. Turns out that a single bar( round stock ) can be used on the front chassis hole and it lines up pretty nicely. Got to get the Bolt/RivNut kit and build the front mounts. Stud on one end, and female threads on the other...Or maybe stud both ends...

Douglas

 

[Nuje]

The OG Evolution Import plate actually came with simple 1.25" (guessing?) round posts. The parts car I picked up (oil pan hit a rock) actually had those posts installed (why there wasn't a skid plate attached to those posts.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ).

How would you go about putting a stud in the end of those posts? A few years ago, I had a skid plate and looked at those posts, but couldn't figure a good way to put a stud in them. Is it just lining up a drill press in the centre of the post and drilling / tapping the threads?

 

[Boosty]

For those who do salvage yard crawls;
I was happy to find a tdi sans head in the yard one day and noted the in tank fuel pump and n75 valves present so took them home with me.
On closer inspection the "pump" must have been in an alh car as there are only 2 contacts in the plug, this was sender signal only, no pump power! Ooof. Anyway I now have a nice level sender if needed.

 

[[486]]

ETA: ordered a new filter, so I'll update with a number on a new filter when it shows up
Always used junkyard air filters before.

fairly filthy secondhand air filter isn't actually any restriction at all, same 5" of water with the brand new element

 

[norbert77]

So, drill a 6" hole on side of airbox?

 

[[486]]

So, drill a 6" hole on side of airbox?

nah, 5in of water ain't really enough to care about, it's about what a fairly noisy computer fan will blow

just confirmed my thoughts that buying new air filters is usually a waste of money
just bang the dirt out on the driveway until the rubber gasket starts getting tired, then find a "new" one while browsing a junkyard

 

[norbert77]

Seems the beetle is a bit harder to install. Are the relays even there?

 

[hey_allen]

nah, 5in of water ain't really enough to care about, it's about what a fairly noisy computer fan will blow

just confirmed my thoughts that buying new air filters is usually a waste of money
just bang the dirt out on the driveway until the rubber gasket starts getting tired, then find a "new" one while browsing a junkyard

After installing a filter restriction gauge, I found that the largest restriction to airflow in my car was the dirt that had accumulated on the snow screen down behind the battery.

Once I cleaned it, it reduced the intake restriction significantly, to the tune of ~10-15 in/hg reduced restriction, and another few inches reduced when I gave up and just removed the screen entirely.

 

[J_dude]

For those who do salvage yard crawls;
I was happy to find a tdi sans head in the yard one day and noted the in tank fuel pump and n75 valves present so took them home with me.
On closer inspection the "pump" must have been in an alh car as there are only 2 contacts in the plug, this was sender signal only, no pump power! Ooof. Anyway I now have a nice level sender if needed.

Yeah I’ve never succeeded in finding a good BEW lift pump at the salvage yards, somebody always beats me to it.
The one I did eventually find probably was left because it didn’t even work, but I bought the replacement internal pump from ID Parts. Still cheaper than buying the full unit new.

 

[pkhoury]

Yeah I’ve never succeeded in finding a good BEW lift pump at the salvage yards, somebody always beats me to it.
The one I did eventually find probably was left because it didn’t even work, but I bought the replacement internal pump from ID Parts. Still cheaper than buying the full unit new.

Haha, I've had that problem before. I want to say 1, maybe 2 junkyard pumps that ran and then stopped running. It was still worth it getting the wiring loom, relay and other crap to make it work.

 

[CanadianALH]

Yeah I’ve never succeeded in finding a good BEW lift pump at the salvage yards, somebody always beats me to it.
The one I did eventually find probably was left because it didn’t even work, but I bought the replacement internal pump from ID Parts. Still cheaper than buying the full unit new.

I never can get BRM intakes they are long gone.

 

[The Cream Dolphin]

I have the plugs and pins for repairing the injection pump harnesses if that's what you're needing.

As far as I can tell the pump is fine, it is the body side of the wiring I suspect. Are you referring to the internal wiring or the lead to the pump? The green wire heading back into the engine bay has a bare spot. I will pull out my bentley and do my best to do a bit of deciphering.

 

[GlowBugTDI]

fairly filthy secondhand air filter isn't actually any restriction at all, same 5" of water with the brand new element

Can't be any worse then 2nd hand cigs right?

Maybe I should just start saving all my *junk parts* to give you. Though now thinking about it I dont think the stuff I throw out is a whole lot better then what you trash. I have a 10yr old timing belt with 30-35k left on it if you want.

just confirmed my thoughts that buying new air filters is usually a waste of money
just bang the dirt out on the driveway until the rubber gasket starts getting tired, then find a "new" one while browsing a junkyard

I agree with this for most occasions. I only replace the filter when I first buy a car because every car except the wagon has had the original filter. Their always black and full of leaves. Otherwise about once a year I beat it on the cement till the sand mostly stops falling out then take it to the air conpressor for quick clean.

 

[[486]]

Can't be any worse then 2nd hand cigs right?

Maybe I should just start saving all my *junk parts* to give you. Though now thinking about it I dont think the stuff I throw out is a whole lot better then what you trash. I have a 10yr old timing belt with 30-35k left on it if you want.

I did just recently buy a couple new serpentine belts
chewed through all the parts car ones I had, always killed by the tensioner pulley that isn't sold separate from the tensioner, so you gotta drill the rivets out, stick a new bearing in and tack weld the thing back together

Found out the continental timing belts have their date of manufacture stamped in them, so I've been buying those ones lately. Already got a couple near zero mile gates belts from '19 and '17 to use up
Keep buying parts cars where people put a belt on a car that had lost its belt, as if a new belt'll wolverine heal everything else...

 

[joe00golf]

Couple bullet connecters to fix the broken connectors on the coolant glow plugs.

 

[pkhoury]

What did I do to my mk4 today? Well, after successfully finishing a timing belt, the threads on the forward most hole on my engine bracket f*cknig stripped on me. I thought of getting a replacement from the junkyard, as I'm planning to go tomorrow anyways, and then realized I need to redo timing again. No thanks, since there's no guarantee that the crappy aluminum threads will hold up. So I ended up ordering a M12x1.5 timesert kit and a socket tap socket set to finish the job. I'm pretty irritated, given the fact that this isn't the only stripped thread; one of the tensioner bolt holes is stripped (though I've been able to use two bolts just fine for the time being).

 

[Nuje]

Couple bullet connecters to fix the broken connectors on the coolant glow plugs.

Ok - that's actually quite brilliant in its simplicity; well done!